LIMBO Stories
by Mental Sage
Summary: Ronald Weasley and four other Hogwarts students must wield the power of the four elements in order to keep the circle of life alive. When Harry isnt a chosen and cant go to LIMBO, he gets rather jealous. BZxRWxHP
1. Elements: The Story

"_Fire… Earth… Air… Water… The magnificent ruling elements…_

_Fire first spread and burned through the ether… It created a magnificent sight—brightness burning among the darkness. O, what a sight! Fire burning through the darkness, giving hope to anything that looked upon._

_Earth then followed it, ensuring it long life. Supportive of her friend, indeed! It trailed behind fire, wherever it went! Blindly going on and on! Circling! A dense sphere of rock burning of flame! O, a sight, a sight! Flying through the ether of the darkness! It slowed… And slowed… And stopped—looking more magnificent stationary! O, how beautiful a sight! Unmatched beauty indeed!_

_Water too spread its surface to the far regions of the universe—avoiding the dense burning rock Christened: Sol—until it spread as far as it chose to—for it could indeed go farther! It reverted in direction then at speeds too high to be matched! When it hit, it caused a thunderous sound, rumbling the ether and creating a light. Dimmer, though, than the light of the Sol, the newly Christened Lun was formless. Free-floating, it was water with light woven into it._

_Air saw this and was not at ease. Air flowed around the area of the light-water and rounded it up into a sphere similar to Sol. It was the same size, of course—for it would need be to keep up the plans for what would be between the creation of Sol and Lun._

_Days passed and the four Elements created nine spheres between Sol and Lun. The first from Sol was composed of Earth. The second of Air and Earth. The third—oh so special to the elements—was composed of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. The fourth of Air, Fire, and Earth—Water contributed too little to be counted. The fifth of Air. The sixth of Water and Air. The seventh, eighth, and ninth composed of Water, Air, and Fire._

_Days passed and the elements grew weary. They had done the most work since ever. They decided that their essences would forever live on. For that, they created man and put him on the third planet. They all had something to contribute._

_Earth created the dust. Water made it mud. Fire dried it up. And Air made it bode._

_They created another—however, with a body made for nourishment. And with that, they all went their separate ways—vowing always to meet once again. _

_Earth took refuge in the ground, providing the humans with food—but that was only if Water promised to visit. Water took to the valleys of earth and allowed for life-maintenance—but only if Fire would invite Water up every so often to relocate him where he wished to be. Fire dwelled in Sol, providing earth with energy—only if, however, Air would support him with a better medium than ether. Air was nomadic—everywhere. She provided people with gasses to do various things—only if Earth would create high mountain peaks for Air to rest undisturbed. Working together, the Elements did the mighty._

_In their last day, they made a pact. They would inhabit the four most powerful beings on the planet. They would then pass themselves on with each generation. To this, they vowed._

_Fire embedded himself into Godric Gryffindor—the hero of the village Hollow who was famous for his ruby-encrusted sword and fiery-red mane. He resembled a lion and was most associated with it. He taught young wizards and witches many things including valor._

_Earth melded with Helga Hufflepuff, the pleasantly plump schoolteacher who was known all around for her loyalty and fairness. She never left a soul behind. She taught those who were as loyal as she and who valued group-work._

_Water slipped into Salazar Slytherin, the supreme judge of all the land. He was stone-faced and judgmental of everything. He was as rigid as the mysterious miracle-stick he carried around. He was the one to see the inner ambition in everyone—everyone who came from the right folk of course._

_Air flowed into Rowena Ravenclaw, the distant, aloof woman from Fen always with a book in her hand. In her school, she taught everyone who had a wit of intelligence. Her school was of the most variety—it focused on **both** intellect **and** creativity in their craft._

_Having a natural affinity for one another, they went out seeking each other. And as if by magic (which had been used by each of the elements personified), Gryffindor arrived from the North, Hufflepuff from the East, Ravenclaw from the West, and Slytherin from the South. While talking about their experiences, they spoke of the idea of creating a school where they all taught. _

_Each had an attribute and skill to pass onto a new generation of young witches and wizards. With a particular ease, they began to create the school; half with magic, the other half with elemental powers. After grueling months, they created a castle that reached to the skies and extended to the corners of Earth. O, how magnificent!_

_From there, they created quarters for themselves._

_Great Gryffindor took the highest reaching tower. Great valor and courage he'd shown in war—he deserved it indeed, no?_

_Humble Hufflepuff chose to take the cellars. It was quite cozy and close to the ground floor. For she wanted to allow her students easy access to their resting places._

_Rampant-for-Reading Ravenclaw added a tower to the west. She said that she could see Fen under the sunset each night silhouetted and almost fully during the sunrise from the east. No one else could, but she swore it, so they let it be._

_Secretive Slytherin chose the dungeons. It was the dark and dreary ambiance that attracted him. He believed he could have his privacy down there while disturbing or arousing interest from anyone else in whatever project he wanted to complete."_

"And that, students, is the story of the personified elements. I have come into possession of the elements—in their raw forms. Seeing as how they choose their personifications," Professor McGonagall paused and took a good look at each of the students of Hogwarts all gathered in the Great Hall, "I hope for your sakes, you have been noble and deserving."

She sighed. "I warn you though; the elements are partial to the houses of the first humans they first inhabited. Please don't be discouraged if you are not chosen—after all, there are only four." She was obviously not used to pacifying students. With a relatively larger sigh, she took a small orb decked with four swirls of colors (Red, Brown, White, and Blue) in the middle switching between them. She tapped the orb with her wand and said, "_Releasius Ani!_"

First, the Blue swirl extended out. It flew up and came down, hovering high over the Slytherin table. It was as though it was deciding who was most noble. In a squirt, it darted into Draco Malfoy's mouth. It then had a seemingly second thought and flew out of his nose (causing tears of extreme discomfort to the blonde) and into that of Blaise Zabini, sitting opposite of him. From the looks of it, he was enjoying the sensation of it swishing around in his mouth on its own. It obviously went down quite easily.

Next, the Brown swirl slinked in the air with small shockwaves pulsating from it. As though pre-decided, it went right in front of Zacharias Smith. He looked at it defiantly before it went with a heavy blow into his chest. He sputtered in a fit of coughing and gagging before recomposing himself.

Anticipation for the last two swirls aroused when smartly, the white one came out. It swirled easily and lazily in the air, looking for the one. It stopped before Anthony Goldstein and went into a crack in his closed mouth quite easily. When he exhaled through his nose, it flew out. It went into his nostril and he seemed a tad stupefied before he shook it off and looked amazed at the aspect of himself being chosen.

The room went silent as the red swirl expelled from the orb and into the air. It instantly went to the Gryffindor table where it went up and down a few times. It stopped over four students: Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Ronald Weasley, and Harry Potter. It lowered itself between the four. With two on each side, it seemed to be able to dart into any of their mouths at any moment. It took a moment to decide. It forwarded itself in front of Harry and Ron. It edged over to Ron and then to Harry.

It then slowly went to Harry's lips and to tip of his tongue. It rolled itself on his tongue before it sprang out and into Ronald Weasley's mouth. Surprised, he hissed and it wriggled down his throat. Looking as though he swallowed a hot pepper, he began to redden. After a moment though, he exhaled a breath of smoke.

A minute after it was over, there was much groaning and booing. Draco Malfoy could be distinctly heard shouting 'Do-over!' Nothing but cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table though. It was infectious, as everyone else began cheering as well. One Hermione Granger expected to see Harry slightly upset, but he seemed more relieved than she had ever recalled seeing him. With that, she smiled.


	2. Zabini: Observing

There were four students who were made gods among their peers. They were the most overlooked students of their houses.

Ronald Weasley was known only for his associates—Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, the older and female Weasleys… He was very often overshadowed. Now he had a chance to show who he was.

Blaise Zabini, though very handsome, was aloof in every way possible. He was a tall black boy with slanted eyes, high cheekbones and spirally hair. His scowls and pouts only added to his handsomeness and good-looks. He was declared as asexual due to the fact that he walked over all the boys and girls who threw themselves at his feet. He was like a rose among the other wallflowers.

Zacharias Smith was only made more vain and conceited. He was tall and skinny with blonde boy with an upturned nose. He had taken to using his new powers to impress anyone who could stand to be around him. He even began to brag about his distant relation to Helga Hufflepuff. Some people could make the best of things.

Anthony Goldstein, a small-statured Indian boy with long curly black hair and a dark tan complexion. He was adopted at a young age and it came as quite a surprise when he was discovered to be a wizard. He did get quite more than he bargained for when he got the publicity of the Air Ani. He was the most proficient with his abilities thus far. Creating whirlwinds and gusts, he was able to life even Hagrid quite a bit off of his feet. He says the _secret_ to his success is because he practices martial arts. He says that he's more at center.

The boys created a club to compare and contrast abilities. _The Elementals_ was its name. They met every other night. Here are their stories…

BLAISE ZABINI

I do not share prejudices. I am not like other Slytherins. I am not a Pureblood supremacist. I am just me. Yes, my mother is a gold-digging black widow. Since I was born, she's married seven men up to date—taking them home to meet me, expecting me to make an immediate bond so that they feel welcomed in our home. I am to play on their soft-spots. If they like Quidditch, I LOVE it. If they like animals, I'm planning on becoming an animal healer to cure those cute woodland creatures. If they are using my mother to get a little action from me… well, that's out.

It is true that I'm asexual. I'm attracted to neither girls nor boys as a population. I'm attracted to single persons—rarely at that. If the person appeals to me, I would consider going out with them. That's just how it is. It's a concept that Draco Malfoy refuses to understand.

When I got the Water Ani, I wasn't surprised. I had a dream of something like this happening. I was quite prepared. Anyway, I've learned to control it for the most part. It's all about practicalities. If you know there is moisture in the air then it should be simple to infer that there is water all around us. So that allows me to take it from anywhere.

It's been only a month so far, but I can now draw water from the air and use it to slap things around. I can create figurines with about as much detail as Hagrid's brother's face. But it's alright—I'll learn. I have a special parchment roll that I write my ideas in. My best idea so far is controlling people with the water in their own bodies. I really like that idea though.

When the Gryffindor boy Ronald Weasley came up to me, I listened to what he had to say. He showed me no hostility so I showed him none. He approached me with an innovative idea. Truthfully, I was under the impression that he was a nitwit. When he told me of his plans to create a group for those of us who had acquired elemental abilities, I was astounded. More so because it was Ronald Weasley—the imbecile extraordinaire— laying out a plan for us all to meet up and develop our abilities without the hassle of everyone else trying to butt in to see practices.

When he did the layout spell (what muggles would call a slideshow) he even developed a way to decorate it with his fiery prowess. I would be a fool to pass up this chance! You know, I think I'm developing something for Ronald Weasley…

Sure! Go on! You may think I'm rushing into things that don't exist but I'm not! I know what I want in life and love and he is it. Being asexual, preferred looks don't count. So long as their soul and personality is in line to what I want, then I like them. Also, asexuality for me means that my sex drive is rather low. I'd much prefer holding or being held by a lover. But I'm sure I'll eventually warm up to the idea of it.

Anyway, the first meeting was great. We talked and compared out abilities. I had absolutely no idea who Anthony Goldstein was, but when he spoke, oh that small boy could simply say what he meant with hardly any mouth movements. He really was the most perfected of us. The funny part is that he's only at the starting stage of his power.

Zacharias Smith was about as much fun as a chipped tooth. He wouldn't shut up. He mainly talked about himself. He began to bring some heat my way about my not appreciating my own gifts of handsomeness or something. I don't quite remember. I get that talk all the time. What I do remember, however, was Ronald standing up for me. He easily towered over Smith. They had a squabble with some strong words before Anthony brought them back to earth. Ronald then began the meeting.

"Hey guys," he began. "I am glad to announce _The Elementals'_ first meeting. I've taken the liberty of creating a rundown of events that we can have. Headmistress McGonagall has graciously allowed us a designated spot on the grounds where we can practice outside if we need to. I think it's a good spot. You know, Zabini—Blaise, can access his water; Anthony… He'll have air wherever we go; it's on the ground so Smith—" he didn't correct himself and use his first name "—can get to his earth easily; and if it's got air, I can draw fire from it so I think we're even," he concluded.

Oh my goodness, he has my idea of drawing our elements from the surrounding air. He is really not as bad as I thought. Note to self: Have a conversation about normal stuff soon. After that brief introduction, we left to go outside to what would be forever more known as _The Spot_.

I was expecting a spot on the grounds, but it is much stranger… We've got to use all of our powers in a combination to access _The Spot_. Quite ingenious it is though. First we find the inactive portal. Next Earth and Fire mix together to make magma. They then cover the portal. Water (that would be me) covers the whole magma structure and Air freezes it. Next, we all hit it with a force-blast of our powers and break open the portal to _The Spot_.

It was amazing. It was like that Room of Requirement except more… exclusive. Only we four could go there. Only we could access it. Like a private Room of Requirement.

It was lush, least to say. So green and beautiful. It had an amazing river flowing right next to the portal. It had a cliff not to high up from the lake where the river ran into. I could only allow my breath to be taken as I turned to see the jungle nearby. If I weren't so damn celibate, I would say it was orgasmic to see such surroundings.

After some lounge time, we took a diagnostic (once again designed by Ronald) to see how far we had advanced. We would element dual. Sort of like a wizard dual with no second. Anthony would go against Smith and me against Ronald. Anthony and Smith went first. Smith wasn't as bad as I hoped he would be, but he couldn't beat Anthony, that's for sure.

They stood some ten feet away and bowed to each other. Smith instantly went tense. He looked like he was waiting for something. Anthony, on the other hand, extended his hands downward and out at a five o' clock. A gust of wind flew by my feet and shins. As I looked down, I realized it came from a radius of at least twenty feet in a circle. It seemed only to be at foot level though. The end result: He floated upward and hovered two feet from the ground.

Smith wasn't as taken aback as Ronald and I. He advanced upon Anthony slowly. With the wind at his heels, he seemed to be going faster than intended. He decided to do something about it. He lurched forward and seemed as though he would do a handstand. He did! His hair flew toward Anthony and it seemed like he would fall.

As with most of my assumptions, it came true. He began to fall with his back going down. I thought he would splat, but instead he fell **into** the grass and dirt and out of sight. I was actually mortified. His hand reappeared right under Anthony's foot. It pulled the lower half of his body into the dirt like quicksand—just as when Smith disappeared. Anthony didn't lose control for a minute. The wind stopped pushing me toward the battle though.

What happened next was too quick to have been noticed. Anthony closed his eyes for naught less than a second and suddenly an explosion of wind hit me. Ronald also hit me, for he had been in front of me as well as to my side. We both fell down, him on top of me. I felt the devil in me damning celibacy as I helped him to his feet with not a second thought.

After the wind passed and it was safe to open my eyes, I saw Anthony standing in a crater and Smith lying at his feet. Anthony really **was** good. I just hope Ronald wasn't as practical as I, for we have opposing abilities. The only thing that gives us advantage is wit and smarts. I have both, I hope Ronald's aren't as high as mine are.


	3. Zabini: No Victory x Weasley: Understood

Mucho gracias to the reviewers! I feel warm and fuzzy inside. Keep it up and so shall I.

BLAISE ZABINI

Ronald and I waited for Smith to come to so that he could restore the crater that Anthony created. I wouldn't fancy too much having to go up against him, but if it is to be done, then I shall do it. As for now, we wait for Smith to get more conscious before Ronald and I begin our primary bout. Smith finally came to so Ronald and I went to a nice spot close to the lake. After a minute of silent preparation, eye contact told us that it was time to battle.

Ronald swiped his arm from behind and over his head. I almost didn't see the gathering flame until it was too late. But the point is that I **did** see it so I was prepared. A voice spoke in my head. It was silky and oily. It came in less than a split second, but I understood it. _React just as much as is needed._ I didn't quite understand it, but then it dawned upon me.

The flame got close enough to catch my hair, but it didn't because I simply slid to the left. I turned back and saw it disappear. I turned back to see Ronald swiping his hand through the air again. I ducked as it came closer. Haha! Ronald wasn't as great as I thought. I decided to attack.

I milked enough moisture from the air to create a small ball of it and have it hover between my hands. Focusing, I was able to shoot seven squirts of water out as hard as I'm not sure what. They seemed to sting him though. I took advantage of his moving back by summoning some water from the lake. I was going to have it whip him but I made it take the form of a square as his outstretched hands expelled a stream of fire.

It hit my water barrier, but at a price—for it was a _stream_ of flame, so it was constantly flowing toward me—evaporating my water in the process! As the water began to move from the edges on in, I felt it weaken in the place I thought I was fortifying it: The middle. Steam began to push itself into my face. My eyes watered and I fell to the ground. I was glad I did because I saw the fire pushing itself over my head.

I didn't stay down for long though. The voice in my head congratulated me for acting without too much power. I nodded as though it wasn't my imagination and rolled into the lake that was about five feet away from me.

Down there, I felt the water that fed this reservoir from river a bit further up. That gave me an idea. I didn't need to hold my breath—it seemed that I could breathe the water like a merman or something. In the end though, I was able to carry out my plan. I made the water around me push me high upward into the air. But something that I wasn't prepared for happened—the water kept swirling about me.

I didn't want to hurt Ronald so I calmed myself and felt the water fall down with a rush. I opened my eyes and saw that I was floating all by myself. Floating downward at a rather high velocity, if I do say so myself. I braced myself for a burn of the water's slap. It never came—I simply fell back in. Without even creating a ripple! I didn't care about the elements at that point! That was not right! Even by magical standards! I swam (more quickly than I care to say) to the shore, only to see Ronald there waiting. He smiled, showing off as much of his teeth as was required in most of the photo shoot my mother taught me about. I melted. I simply lied there and allowed him to claim victory without putting up a fight.

What I am neglecting to tell you, however, is that he had me trapped in a two-foot high ring of fire. He really was as witty as I was—given the chance, I would have done the same or better. But who's competing? When you feel an attraction to someone, it doesn't too much feel like a competition. More like two people going at the best of their abilities to achieve the same goal. That's all. I swear it. However, I'm lying. Although I feel so much more, I'll end my story here for now. Thank you for listening.

RONALD WEASLEY

Blaise Zabini lost to me. I believe he only lost because he wanted to. If I know Slytherins, they can figure out every angle to anything and be out of any tight spot within moments. I think Blaise just did it out of boredom of the spar. He could have gone on—he attacked me with only water darts! But Zacharias, Anthony, and I did get a chance to see what he was made of, and the others, myself—if I'm wording that right.

After just talking about it, you know, both of the fights, we decided to hang out. Just us guys. We learned quite a bit about each other. It seemed that everyone was interested in the male species (but having to be different, Zacharias was bisexual). It was hard to tell with Blaise though—he seemed to be interested more in listening and keeping that model-like pout about him. He was really just asking to be questioned. So I took the liberty.

"So Blaise," I began, thinking on the spur of the moment, "what suits your fancy?" Blaise allowed a shadow of a smile to cross his mouth before he spoke in that articulate speech of his.

"What do you mean?" he rolled his eyes upward as though trying to understand—I know he could though. He was just baiting me. I went into laymen's terms (something Hermione thinks that needs to be done for me).

"What is your sexual preference?" I asked again, causing a snigger from Zacharias.

"He's obviously bisexual," the haughty Hufflepuff explained. "I mean, he's got features that appeal to both guys and girls, he's never been seen with a girl, and his walk entails me to believe that he's trying to appeal to both guys and girls." Before I could retort, Anthony did.

"No, you moron. His features are genetic, much like that snout-like nose you've always got in the clouds; maybe he doesn't want to have been seen with a girl, cause I'm pretty sure I've never seen you with a girl either; and it's called 'conditioning.' Obviously, if he models, he may be used to walking that way, sort of the way your nose is always stuck up."

I had to hand it to him. For a small guy, he really could dish it. But then again, he really was only small in stature. He was our age, after all. Zacharias only scowled and turned away. Blaise nodded in what seemed to be thanks. I couldn't tell. His natural features were so much like Zacharias' that it was kind of hard to say that he wasn't so stuck up. But still, he hadn't wronged me as of yet. Blaise did speak on it though.

"I'm asexual, like mostly everyone says. Only, they're right, but they've got the wrong interpretation for me. I'm attracted to personalities, not genders or races or anything."

I nodded nice-like. I didn't understand that too much, though. I mean, I was attracted to both females and males so I had double of what he had—or didn't have. So let me see… at this rate, I could win Blaise over within seventy-five years when he was senile and had no idea that I wanted him. Of course, neither did I at the time. So it was cool.

Blaise had gotten up to look around the area. He seemed so at ease with the soft grasses and green-bark trees that had vines falling from them. I wonder what happened to the superficial, superior Blaise Zabini that I'd always seen in the Potions laboratory. He seemed to melt into the at-ease-with-nature male I saw then. Appearances really weren't always what they seemed.

One thing you could count on Zacharias to do was come up with something remotely fun to do. Oh, yes, I do mean remotely fun as in: We can't have any other type of fun because we were stuck in this place. Yeah, we wandered so far away from the portal that we forgot where it was. We're still looking, of course, but Professor McGonagall told me about time being completely frozen here. So by the time we are able to get out, no time should have passed in the real world. That's what's so cool about this place.

Anyway, Zacharias decided that he wanted to take a dip. He also decided that he was God's gift to mankind, so he stripped to his stark naked form and jumped into the startling-clear water. Anthony and I looked at each other and decided that it was in the name of fun so we too went starkers and jumped in. Only Blaise Zabini didn't. He did take off his robe and cuff his pants up a bit so that his feet could dip themselves into the clear-blue liquid.

I swam up to him and rested my arms on the soft, grassy bank. "So, what do you think?"

"Concerning…?" he looked down at me with the same soft, gentle eyes that he had when he was messing about with the plants.

"_The Spot_. Is it hot or is it not?" He thought for a moment.

"It's amazing. It's brilliant. It almost makes me want to go naked and join you all."

"Then why don't you?"

"It isn't my thing."

"What can I do to make it your thing?" I ask. I can tell he's pleasantly tired of the questioning, but I don't stop my assault of interrogation. Sooner than later, he finally agreed and came in.

I don't care what anyone says. He was a definite beau. Now I see why he avoids those harpy-girls. They'd claw him out of his clothes if he dozed off for a minute. He was as tall as I was with a brown, toned physique. Me, I wasn't as toned, but I was strong. He ran straight up to me and dove in right over my head without so much as a decent ripple in the water. He resurfaced rather strangely. I mean, the water is clear enough to see to the bottom. Even though Blaise wasn't exactly white-complexion, it should have been easy to spot him. It wasn't. I didn't think too much of it though.

We swam around and talked about stuff that had no significant value. I then had to ask a question. "So what do you think of us?"

"Us… who?" he asked, his eyes softening to resemble muddy clay.

"Gryffindors. Because my whole perception of Slytherins have changed."

"Don't," he snapped. Blaise's earth-brown eyes had returned to the same hardness they usually were. "Don't you **ever** let your perception of them change. Slytherins are cold, intelligent, and will drag you through a muddy puddle on a dry summer day because they can."

"But you're not—" he cut me off. "You don't know what I am and what I am not!" His eyes did not pull a Harry. Normally when Harry was ticked, his eyes hardened for a minute, and then they softened back up. Blaise was not Harry. He did, however, soften his voice up again as it had been when he asked about what I was talking about. "I'm not proud of it, but I'm a Slytherin. And I know how they operate. If you let one oddball change your perception of those snake-worshiping pseudo-druids, then you'd be a lot worse off than you began." Curiosity got the best of me… I had to ask.

"And how did I begin?"

"You're a Gryffindor. You're their enemy."


	4. Goldstein: Tricked

ANTHONY GOLDSTEIN

"Thank you," I said to Zacharias after he complemented my abilities to wield the Air Ani. We were allowing ourselves to drift around aimlessly. We chattered about random stuff. I learned a lot about him. For one, he was not being so snobbish and rude. Under the crude exterior, he did indeed have a heart.

Zacharias nodded, closing his blue eyes half-way. "I think I'm getting prunish. Want to come onto dry land?" I nod, although I don't want to. But if he will make an attempt to be nice, then why shouldn't I be nice to him and hope he stays that way.

"So is it true?" I asked as we swam lazily to the bank. "Are you really related to Helga Hufflepuff?"

He nodded. "Yeah—on my dad's side. It goes from me to my dad to my grandfather to his father to his sister and my Great Aunt Hepzibah Smith (the last known owner of Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket) and so on and so forth." I was wonderstruck.

"It's neat that you can trace your family tree back that far. I don't know my parents, so I couldn't possibly." You'd think it'd be hard to talk about being adopted and what not. It isn't. I mean, hey, yeah, my parents abandoned me. But my real parents (the ones who adopted me) made up for that. They took me in. I don't even look like them!

I mean, not to bring race into it, but if an English couple can adopt you despite the fact that you're different in appearance than they are, then that really means something. I'm pretty sure I'm Indian, but that's only judging by my appearance and other Indian's. Race isn't anything more than a man-made categorization to decide who is better than whom—that's the origins of it. I'm speaking from a muggle perspective. It's the same way with wizards. That Pureblood, half-blood, muggle-born stuff is pure crap. Just like in the muggle world, you cannot take a blood test to determine if a witch's parents were muggles or not—that's the reason I'm not sure if I'm Indian or not. But that's ethnicity and another rant.

We were silent for a good couple of minutes. I pulled myself onto the soft grass of the riverbank and let my hands fall into the water. It was cold and I liked it. I swished my hand through the crystal liquid and would have fallen asleep had Zacharias not slip his head from under the surface and between my outstretched arms. Here I thought he was being romantic or something—he wasn't. I know because he pulled me in by my arms and left me flailing around.

After I was able to regain my composure, Zacharias was in for it. I reached my arms outward and gored him with my arms under the water. That should have taught him. It did. He didn't resurface. Gaping, I submerged myself. My arms wind -milled around, causing an excess of air-bubbles to fly to the surface (I mean, I was good with the Air Ani but to have mastered it by now would be ridiculous).

Fighting through my panic (a great talent of mine), I was able to make an air bubble around my head. I was able to see even better as I looked for him. I went to the surface for a quick replenishment of air when I saw Zacharias posing on the bank in all his glory, smirking at me.

I was flabbergasted! I knew what he did! He went under and melded with the rocks. He was able to follow a path to the bank and make me look like an idiot. I scowled and raised myself out of the lake.

I made wind hit me so to dry me off as I got on my underwear and shirt. Zacharias tried coming up to me, but practicality was on my side. Controlling air didn't mean just making wind. Air can be strong even without moving. I demonstrate that with my placing air molecule upon air molecule upon air molecule. Being raised by muggles paid off in the Wizarding world for once. One word explained it: Science. Besides, seeing Zacharias' face in stupidity made me feel good.


	5. Smith: Seeing x McGonagall: Hating

Thank you all for reviewing! I feel so warm inside again. I think the reviews are filling up this cold, empty void inside of me that comes from too many years of neglecting my duties for the sake of reading books and such.

Please note that Ani is a prefix that means spirit. Also note that when I say Anis, I mean Ani+s, making it plural to mean spirits. Not Anis to mean 'the combining form used in chemistry to denote derivation from anise or anisic acid'.

ZACHARIAS SMITH

I would have cried if I didn't know how things operated. From the moment I got the Earth Ani, I've been feeling lower than usual. Before the Earth Ani, suicide was a constant thought that I welcomed with open arms. But I think that Hogwarts' charms and stuff prevent students from dying by their own hands because every time I try, I find myself somewhere totally different after having blacked out—and I don't drink. With the Earth Ani, it's like having this annoying therapist in your head 24/7. The same little voice that tells me how to use the Ani when I don't know how also serves as a therapist—isn't that great?

I mean, if you were forced to keep your nose up at those around you because you were raised to believe you were better, then something is wrong. I've just recently learned how misguided I was all my life. The money that once made me feel so alive and natural now just made me feel like I was an evil tyrant. I felt dirty. But this isn't about me—well, yes it is, but I'm just getting uncomfortable talking about it. Let's skip to the point after Zabini and Ronald managed to find the portal and get us out.

No time had past from the time we went in until the time we came out in the real world. After getting back to the castle, we managed to get to our clubroom. By _The Spot_ time, we were there for hours. By our world standards, we were there for less than a second. That place was amazing. Despite the little falling-out that Anthony and I had, it all went well. Besides, I made amends with him and we're going to meet up next Hogsmead's weekend. What I did to make amends… Well, I'm just glad Zabini and Weasley were out somewhere else.

Anyway, the funniest that happened was during dinner. It was about a week since our first visit to _The Spot_. For Anthony (and only for him) I stopped showing off so much. I always knew I was being obnoxious. But I couldn't stop myself. It was like being deep inside yourself and so very far away from your conscious mind and bodily actions. Now, I fought that feeling. For Anthony. But anyway, back to the funny thing.

Weasley and Zabini were at their house tables, as usual. Weasley was talking to an excited-looking duo (Potter and Granger) and Zabini was talking to no one. Although I hadn't really thought of him too much, his mannerisms say that he's a loner. Anyway, Zabini is staring dead at Weasley. Obviously, he notices because he begins to talk to them but with less attention—he's putting most of it into his staring match with Zabini.

So they're just staring and staring and staring. Soon Weasley isn't even talking anymore (Granger is). They were staring and right near the Hufflepuff table, something began to smoke. It's steamy-like, but to me, Smoke is smoke. Then the room began to brighten. I looked at the floating candles and see the flames growing higher and higher. They then seemed to flicker around. A drop of liquid fell on me. I thought it was wax. When I realized that it wasn't burning, I dismissed that idea. Another and another and another drop fell on or around me. Then it dawned upon me—the Enchanted ceiling!

I looked up to see it was cloudy and dark. For the first time, it precipitated! It was weird. It began to pour. Professor McGonagall was livid. She and Professor Flitwick were casting spell after spell after spell upward, but to no avail. As it poured harder, I noticed that the only two unaffected were Zabini and Weasley—they were still staring. Obviously, the headmistress noticed as well, because she flicked her wand twice in two directions.

Following the jets of red light, I saw them as they hit the two. Both looked as though they could shake off the spell with their staring, but, within the next second, they succumbed to the power of the Stunning spell. I hadn't noticed, but one also came at me. When I looked, it was too late. I was hit.

"You boys have a responsibility to uphold," said Professor McGonagall as she got us upstairs to her office. It looked a lot like Professor Dumbledore's old office (except it was subtly Gryffindor-oriented). The circular walls were red and there were gold swords pointing downward, shimmering. I think the swords were enchanted because the candle lights didn't flicker in the pattern they glistened. There was a perch where Dumbledore's old phoenix used to sit. The old bird didn't like me much. But this time, there was a new phoenix—it was more golden than red with a tail that seemed as long as a train. Every time I looked at it, it always did something to divert my attention back to the headmistress.

Zabini, Weasley, Anthony, and I sat in front of her. Anthony and I were out of the trouble-zone, as we had nothing to do with it, however, we were still being lectured.

"You are harboring the creating elements. You must keep your emotions in check or go to _Limbo_—for goodness sake, you can stay there for as long as you desire and no time will pass! Ahem," she stood and would have towered over us had it not been for the desk that stood between us. "Perhaps I should outline the rules of _Limbo_ and your ability to interact with it." She sat back down and pulled a pensive from under a draw in her desk. She closed her eyes and stirred it around, as though hoping to catch a fish.

A moment later, a lump rose out of it and formed into a silvery man with equally silvery hair and thick glasses. It was a miniature (and still alive—as alive as you can be in a pensive) Professor Binns. He began to talk and, as usual, I felt it my cue to get my full sleep. But I stayed awake, despite the conditioning that seven years of listening to his voice and wanting to sleep because of it played.

"The elements are forces of the universe. In fact, if it wasn't for them, there'd be no universe." The guy didn't even have the decency to stress that point with vocal inflection! "When the elements take refuge inside of people, unlike possession, the people live longer. The elements allow their wielders to exhibit enormous prowess and great ability in other things. For example, those who harbor the Earth Ani are able to go around the ground soundlessly while they are also able to possess strength greater than that of Hercules.

"Emotions play a big part in controlling each Ani. Many a flashfloods have been tracked to those harboring the Water Ani as well as—" Professor McGonagall flicked her wand at the miniature Professor Binns and he spoke increasingly more loudly "—many downpours from questionable fantasies. Aether has—" She stopped it right there.

I gained a whole new respect for Zabini. He didn't even flinch. He only scowled defiantly with his arms crossed. "I have a right to allow my mind to wander, don't I?" he asked no one in particular. Professor McGonagall leered before deciding better of whatever she was going to do. She merely closed her eyes and sighed before nodding.

"You do indeed. However, raging hormones or not, you've got to keep your mind in check. With great power comes great responsibility," she nodded as though making a note to use that again. Anthony stifled a chuckle (he later informed me that the phrase she used was from a muggle film—which he later informed me was moving pictures seen on a screen).

"And also with great responsibility comes great advantages. Like—and please tell me you're above using this—being able to lay off studying until the last minute where you'll have all eternity. Since You-Know-Who is long gone thanks to our own Harry Potter (and right before school restarted, bless his soul), I'll let you in on a little secret. Back in my day, the last time the Element Anis were released, Tom Riddle (You-Know-Who in his younger years) and I were… dating. It was a cold relationship…Cold indeed." She suddenly looked cryptic. "Erm… never you mind. The point is, use _Limbo_ wisely."

"But Professor," said Weasley suddenly, "What happened? I mean, Vol-Voldemort is dead. For good. So can't you tell us?"

"Yeah," I chimed in for some reason, really wanting to know. "It could help us use it responsibly."

She scowled at me. "It's always been an inside joke between Fillius (Professor Flitwick to you) and me that you were a closet Slytherin and were only in Hufflepuff because of relations. Now I'm beginning to think that seriously…

"Anyway, back in those days, I wanted to be a Potions Mistress. I harbored the Fire Ani and I took full advantage of _Limbo_. Tom," she spat his name with venom, "also took advantage of it. We would both be there, studying hard. Everyday for six years—we'd gotten our Anis in first year—we were in Limbo for days every visit. As we got older, we stayed for weeks on end. During lunch breaks, after school, breakfast… All the time, every time.

"During our sixth year, Tom began to get more romantic and charming. We began to combine our studies together. However, Tom wasn't as honest as I thought he'd be. He hid his real motives and used me only for my potion brewing skills. I'm not going into all of the details, but the point is, that if Tom—Voldemort can find out how to live forever in the equivalent of six earth years, you all can do great things. Now, I bid thee adieu."

She sent us to our dorms. I don't quite understand why we got that lecture, but it must have been for a good reason. I walked Anthony to the West Tower and took myself to the cellars and to bed.

MINERVA MCGONAGALL

I turned in my chair to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. My best friend for years. So right now, I had the right to be angry with him. He asked me to do some things that I didn't find very appealing.

"Albus," I started calmly, "why did you have me do that?" He gave me a pensive look and spoke slowly.

"Because, dear Minerva, our foe is not at all gone. And it is our job to prepare the most powerful forces to deal with him should he return."

"You know how dangerous the Anis are! Look at me! After having the Fire Ani for so long I'm down to only eighty percent of my full magical powers! Out of those four boys, the only one who has the best chance of getting out unscathed is Anthony Goldstein—he's so centered that none of his magical or physical prowess will be lost. But the other promising boys are at risk!"

"Minerva, this is war. Sacrifices must be taken to ensure victory and—"

"Sacrifices nothing! You've done quite enough as it is in The First War! You sacrificed the Potters! Poor Harry hasn't even gotten to meet any of his family! You had his grandparents and cousins killed and led Voldemort straight to Harry!"

He at least had the decency to look upset. "Sacrifices must be made..."

"You know what Albus? I've had enough of this!" I pointed my wand at his portrait and made scarlet curtains appear over him. He makes me so angry sometimes! But for some odd reason, after I think about our conversations sometime later, I realize that he has points. I hate it.


	6. Zabini: Luck a la Weasley

Thank you very, very much for the reviews. I'll keep writing if you keep reviewing! But if you don't, I'll probably still keep it up.

BLAISE ZABINI

_Limbo_, as I will now refer to _The Spot_ as due to the fact that it is the true name, is wonderful if you let it be. I've been able to get so much rest. In my dormitory, I live with Theodore Nott, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Draco Malfoy. There is always some kind of messed up crap in our room that Professor Slughorn is tied up with us. It used to be Professor Snape—but circumstances state otherwise. Rumor has it that Professor Snape was a triple-agent. I'm confused to his first allegiance, so I'm in no state to say who he works for. The headmistress wouldn't let him come back after the war last summer because she said that he was too traitorous to be trusted by anyone.

Anyway, Draco used to always get his way because Professor Snape would bend over to kiss his ass the way Draco did in his classes. It was like some pretzel position that could only be achieved by those two. Now that Snapey-poo was gone—as well as the Dark Lord and Draco's father—Draco actually had to fend for himself. A way to end the school-career with a bang, right? Oh, did he get what was coming for him.

On July 22, the Dark Lord recruited purebloods. I was among them. He was livid. Never had I seen someone so horridly ugly. Ever. He had the most ugly pale skin with red glowing lines streaked across it—like veins that were on fire. His bald head was the same way. It looked like it was fixing to burst with all those nasty veins glowing and pulsating. His scarlet slit eyes were the last of my worries.

I'd heard of his being a master Legilimens. That scared me at first. But then when I saw how many people were there for forceful recruitment, I realized that he couldn't possibly Legilimanize (I guess that's how you say it) everyone there, could he? I was wrong. When he picked out five people at a time and killed them in front of our eyes for planning treachery, I quickly changed my mindset. I lied to myself so well that even I believed that I was ready to go out and kill muggle-borns and half-bloods. I've told you I'm an actor. It worked. We were in a war that lasted nine days. I had not killed anyone; instead I escaped and took to hiding myself.

When word reached me (and my mother) that the Dark Lord was vanquished for good, we resurfaced as though nothing happened. And it has been that way, for no one there knew the identity of anyone else there. I say all that to say that by some bullocks reason, Draco Malfoy was admitted back to Hogwarts!

Anyway, everyone welcomed him back because he was supposed to be some 'spy' for the Order of the Phoenix or something. Can you say bullcrap? I sure can. I've also been saying its more vulgar counterpart for the last four months. It just boils my blood to see him go and not innocent people. No. I lie. I don't care for the innocent people—I just want Draco to leave me alone!

He is so annoying! He is always around. He gives me unwanted sensual attention and keeps telling me how I should realize that my asexuality is actually bisexuality. It's just... I want to barf.

My roommates do the stupidest things. Crabbe and Goyle are fighting over everything and threatening Draco for something (I don't know what). Nott is quite delusional. He wasn't an active member of anything—he was just one with a big mouth about his daddy's accomplishments. He keeps mostly to himself in a tight ball with his arms wrapped around his knees. I only pity him. I sort of protect him as well at times. He isn't a bad guy, just not mentally self-sufficient. He trusts me more than I'd like him to, but if he can be helped…

I can't even tell my story in past tense anymore because this sh!t is still going on! But the rest of my story can be told that way. I believe I was talking about _Limbo_ and how wonderful it was. Anyway…

I ordered an extra set of schoolbooks and kept them in my space in _Limbo_… Along with a couple of self-playing violins. My _Limbo_ space consisted of the part of the river that emptied into the reservoir (that I still call a lake) and edge of the tropical rainforest behind it and everything between it. Ron's place was right next to mine and had the same thing (except he has the running river). Zacharias (who I have become friends with) and Anthony (who has gotten very close to the aforementioned) combined their _Limbo_ spaces.

The spaces were really just for the sake of being able to put down our personal stuff without having to crowd each other out. They weren't really that big either. I mean, we weren't possession hogs or anything.

The place is great! The most I'd stayed here is for two weeks. If I could, I'd stay here forever. And I can—it's just the matter of not aging there. And now, here I am. I have been here for a week and a half on a self-appointed vacation. I have also studied for the Benchmark exams (diagnostic tests administered every two months) until the point of exhaustion.

Around here, nudity doesn't mean anything too big as it would anywhere else. Anthony and Zacharias don't go around having sex as much as you'd think they would. And to be truthful, they're actually both virgins. My quest for Ronald's heart has been put into motion. Even as I lay here under this heated sky (there's no sun here—just light in the sky and no light in the sky), I wonder why my heart chose to fall for that redhead.

When I analyze it from an overhead view, I see this: A male who has an attraction to another male despite social and financial standings and despite what others think (I've never cared before, why start now?).

I push my fingers through my coily hair and yawn in the heat of the sky. Ronald has cast a spell on himself so that he would float on the top of the water and sunbathe. I don't need any water-floating charm to do that—I've got the Water Ani, need I remind you?

Ronald has what's coming to him. I plan on playing my move soon. Romanticism is an art form, you know. For a lasting relationship full of trust and happiness, one must first relinquish one's self to the universe and realize that everything is connected. That being said, one must realize that since everyone is connected, a piece of you is inside your crush, so if you know yourself, you know them as well (aside from the part that you don't know until you realize that you are also inside of them). And now that I am relinquished and I have already previously found myself in Ronald, now is the time to confide in him. Wish me luck?


	7. Weasley: Facing Jealousy

Thank you very, very much Emma! I enjoy all the reviews. My new thing is to continue a story for anyone who wants to read—even if it is just one person. I thank you so very much. You have no idea how much fun it is to write this story. And without further adieu, mein gott…

RONALD WEASLEY

Harry is pissed. He thinks I'm trying to blow him off all the time now. He's all stuck in a rut about me being able to spend forever in a second with a bunch of other people and he is stuck in _Real-Time_ where I'm not really gone for more than a second. What bugs me about that is that I think he's jealous.

He doesn't have to be gay for us to have had the relationship that we did. We were simply friends. Sure, we touched more than other friends did. And sure, we sometimes playfully pecked each other and shared the same bed (we did nothing! I swear! It was when he had constant nightmares and I couldn't bear to see him hollering and tossing and turning). We once shared a serious kiss, but that was just a confusing time we had during the Summer War together. I mean, we both had feelings for it, but it wasn't enough to turn us from best friends to lovers.

I offered to bring him once, but he declined. I think he was angry that time. He's so cute when he gets all pouty and whiny. He doesn't throw tantrums, but it is funny to see him walk with a slight stomp and almost slam the door. It isn't serious enough to rock our friendship, so you can get your head from out the pretense that this tale will involve a fight between us. It WON'T. But here's a conversation we had that went as close to fighting as we'll ever do. Please keep up, Harry talks first.

---Flashback---

"I still don't see why you have to go there all the time! It's annoying!"

"Well Harry, you can come—"

"I don't want to hear your excuses! Why can't you just stay?"

"It's just that it takes less than a second to—"

"Don't think I'm stupid, Ron! You can stay there for years if you wanted and I wouldn't know! You could die there and I wouldn't know! Hell, you're getting more mature the longer you stay there! Soon you'll be like 120 in a 17 year-old's body! It's just not fair!"

"Harry, I can—if I—you can—you can come—"

"No, **thank you**. I can go about my regular aging quite well." He slightly stomped out the door. I felt the fire inside me burn down to a soft ember.

---Flash-forward---

Yeah… not one of my happiest moments. He did get over it eventually. And I promised not to spend more than a few hours there which would be for my training with the Fire Ani unless we talked it over. I did feel a sense of belonging. Or _belonging to_, rather. His disposition at the time simply screamed 'You're going to be my b!tch and you're going to enjoy it.' The _mature_ _playtimes_ we had in sixth year were something like that.

---Flashback---

"Harry," I mumbled, barely audible. "Can we talk?" I wanted to make sure he was okay with my subject.

"About what?" Harry asked, not looking up from the book that he was reading. He scribbled something on his parchment and then went back to his book.

"My going to _Limbo_—" "I don't control you," he said hastily. "If you want to go, go on. Who am I to say what you can and can't do?"

"My friend, perhaps?" I said flatteringly. He didn't bite, but he roughly gestured for me to sit on his bed and continue talking. I did. "Well, I can't stop going to _Limbo_ because I need a safe place to learn about my new powers. But I want to take you there—when I'm strong enough to take more than myself. But I also don't want to betray you by staying for long periods of time without you. So I'm surrendering my travel for long periods of time to you."

Harry cocked his head to the side and cracked the smallest smile. It looked like an evil grin for a second but then I realized that it was because he was showing tooth. "Alright," he said, finally looking at me. "Thanks," he kissed me on the cheek and went back to his book before taking his head up. "But if it is as good as you say it is," he grinned, "then we'll have to get a bit _friendlier_."

I chuckled. "You know I've got it for Blaise now, Harry," I said. He only nodded. "Well when you break up with Zabini," he said as though he was talking about taking out the garbage, "then we'll have playtime again, alright?" I nodded. Why did I feel as though I was _supposed_ to agree?

---Flash-forward---

Ooh, looky. As I was thinking, Blaise sat right on the bank and asked me a simple question that dictates the rest of this tale.

"Ronald, would you like to go steady?"

I wish that was the simple question. But it wasn't. It was more like, "Do you see that large shadowy figure in the sky?"

I glanced up at where he is pointing. I did see it. It was a large… something. It became more apparent as it descended. It was… still something. It looked like a giant gold hourglass with black sand inside littered with red rubies and green emeralds. A second silver one was stacked on top of it with white sand with gold topaz and blue sapphires.

"Well if this ain't the most cliché thing in the world," said Blaise, admiring the hourglasses with an aloof look on his face, "opposite-colored hour glasses that symbolically link people. This is obviously some sort of sign that Anthony and Zacharias and you and I belong together or something that usually happens in novels based on romance and such things."

"And if I'm not mistaken," I said, trying to sound as cultured as he, "these things that sort of write themselves in stone as to the characters that will be put together and…"

"Ronald, not right now. Right now, we've got to get up and talk to the headmistress," he took control of the situation. "Energy forceblast on one… two… three!" We both forced our backs to each other and extended our right arms to the right together.

Distorted air came from my hand as well as from Blaise's. Just inches away, it created steam. The steam became a really thick fog. When I saw a pinkish glow through it, I grabbed his arm and ran us through the portal. We were then in Professor McGonagall's office. I heard her talking to someone.

"…just too much," she said. "And Harry's gone all secluded since Ronald's been spending more time in _Limbo_. I just can't help but think that he's behind the _Chronos Genesis_. I mean, he's got all the resources to do it and with Hermione having been fused with him—Merlin knows how much she knows that she shouldn't. I—"

"Dear Minerva, it appears that we have guests. I've got to check on our dear Minister at the moment so there's no harm done," Albus Dumbledore (who resided in the portrait behind Professor McGonagall's desk) slid out of the frame and vanished. The residing headmistress turned to address us.

"May I help you?" she asked, ignoring our intrusion into her office. "I've got no time to diddle-daddle. I've got business to attend to boys."

"Uh, yeah," I said, trying to recollect my thoughts. "There were these two hourglasses that looked like ours but better and—" Blaise cut me off with a finger to my lips. He tapped his head with his wand and directed it to Professor McGonagall. With a look of sudden enlightenment, she nodded. She then shooed us out as she began taking out silver instruments from thin air with her bare hands as we were pushed out by some invisible force.

"Oh," said Blaise, "that went well." He opened his perfect (yet so very dry at this time) lips to speak again but he was cut off by Professor McGonagall opening the door behind them.

"And don't go back to _Limbo_," she said with a tone that she'd used only once before when she forbade me from taking on a small basilisk colony during the _Summer War_. That's what got Hermione fused with Harry (a story for later).

"Daaamn," said Blaise as the headmistress closed the door and sent them down the magical spiraling escalator. "And I was thinking about erecting a vacation house there."

* * *

A/N: I'm not sure… but I'm pretty sure Hufflepuff has topaz. I have absolutely no time to look through the books. 


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